70 TRANSACTIONS—PERTHSHIRE SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCE. 
AVe have also the Egyptian and the Canadian Goose, both casuals, or 
perhaps escapes. The former bird, however, has been long known 
to the Tay. The Brent Goose, the smallest of our Geese, is 
occasionally to be seen on the higher tidal parts, having come up 
from the salt water lower down, where it is more usually to be found. 
The Scaup Duck also comes up at times from the salt water below; 
and we now occasionally fall in with the Tufted Duck, as also the 
Red-headed Pochard. The former is a rather handsome black-and- 
white-looking Duck, with purplish shining metallic crest. Though not 
common, both these birds are now known to remain and breed on 
some of our inland waters. But perhaps the rarest of the winter 
Ducks on the lower Tay is the Gad wall, another of our fresh- water 
Ducks. This bird does not remain, and is only occasionally met 
with. 
Others of our rare visitors are the Red-breasted Merganser and 
the Smew, both closely allied to the Goosander already mentioned, 
and, like it, both fish-eaters and the most expert of divers. Specially 
expert is the Smew, swimming, or rather flying, under water, the 
wings being used as well as the feet, with so great a velocity that 
a fish has little chance of escape, especially as the saw-toothed bill 
never loses its grip. I may here mention that a Smew was shot on 
the Stormontfield breeding ponds a few winters ago with four salmon- 
parr in its stomach and the remains of several others, as noticed by 
Mr. Marshall, of the Stanley Stores. Besides these, \ye have the 
Black-throated and Red-throated Divers, mostly in immature or 
winter plumage. All these are fish-eaters, but the supply of fish 
food, such as that of sperlings, garvies, eels, etc., is so ample on the 
lower water at this season, at which time the young of the salmon 
and sea-trout are not there, that any amount of fish-eating birds can 
do little or no harm. It is only in those parts of the Tay above tide 
flow that any real mischief can happen. Of the Grebes there are 
the Crested, the Red-necked, and the Sclavonian, all expert divers, 
but not injurious like the others. These are also rare, especially the 
two latter. The Little Grebe, along with the Coot, both common on 
the pools and backwaters in the upper districts, now visit the estuary. 
By the estuary I mean that part of it from the Mouth of the Earn to 
Invergowrie Burn. 
In addition to those mentioned, we have several sea-birds that 
come up to the fresh water. Some may be driven in by gales, but , 
at times some are seen when the weather has been particularly mild. 
At such a time the Guillemot has been found up above Darry Island. 
The bird had been evidently fishing higher up, and was coming 
down rapidly with the tide at the time. It has also been known to 
frequent the pools about Stanley, together with the Razor Bill, which 
